A One Knight Stand
by Elsanna Potato Corner
Summary: A series of Medieval AU oneshots featuring knights, ladies, lady knights, and more! [Elsanna, rating may be subject to change depending on later oneshots]
1. Foaled Again!

**Prompt:** Runaway horse with one of them on the horse and the valiant knight tries to rescue them but getting foiled along the way.

* * *

 **'Foaled' Again!**

* * *

"Look out!"

Indeed, most of the village was looking. Multiple heads turned in the direction of the thunderous sound of hoofbeats against the earth, drawing closer and closer. Fewer heads had the wit to jump out of the way even with the hoofbeats falling right on top of them. Screams sounded in the air as the horse continued its mad dash through the village, with a young, redheaded girl clinging helplessly to its back in wide-eyed terror.

All told, it looked like a job for a knight errant.

 _Here's your chance, Elsa,_ that same knight errant thought, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat as she watched the runaway horse drawing closer. From her vantage point, it looked more like a maddened beast than any horse she'd ever laid eyes on. Exhaling loudly in an attempt to calm the last of her nerves, Elsa flicked her visor down on her helm and drew her sword from its scabbard, preparing herself to threaten the horse into rearing back and stopping. Hopefully without causing the distressed damsel on its back any harm, but as the horse cantered up to her, she couldn't deny that she'd settle for stopping it.

"H-Halt!" Elsa cried out before she could stop herself, brandishing her sword and trying to make herself look more menacing.

For a brief moment Elsa thought the horse was going to obey her command as the animal's speed decreased a smidgen—until it bolted forward once more, charging at the knight and knocking her off her feet. She winced upon hitting the ground, her back slamming hard against the combination of packed dirt and metal plate even with the padding of her aketon between the metal and her undershirt to soften the impact.

 _Let's...Let's try that again,_ she thought with a groan, hastily scrambling to her feet despite her aching body. Thinking that the horse was likely going to stick to the main road which ran through the village like a large U, she decided to take a shortcut through the village to try to head it off near the other end.

All the while, she could hear that poor redhead screaming.

Elsa ran as fast as she could through the alleys and backstreets that led towards the other side of the main road, her armor clunking noisily as she went. Too soon and just in time, she found herself back in direct line of fire, searching her head for some manner of plan that had a prayer of working. Of course, when she assessed her options, the fact that she had left her sword behind became apparent. She could only hope her sword would still be where she left it after this...but for now, she had no choice—she would have to attempt to grab the reins and stop the horse by force that way. Failing that, she would still be close enough to have a chance at rescuing the girl.

Hopefully this would end with no one's neck broken.

Swallowing hard, Elsa prepared herself once again, with feet spread and hands open as the horse and its helpless rider stampeded straight towards her. She could see the reins, pinned to the horse's coat under the girl's arms. Elsa took a few calming breaths, the hoofbeats and her heartbeat thumping loud and fast, and _lunged_.

" _Are you mad?!"_ the girl shrieked as Elsa clung to her and tried to reach for the reins, apologizing profusely even at the risk of having her tongue bitten from the rough riding.

"I'm here to rescue you!" Elsa tried to say, her words undulating with the movements of the angry steed below them. A sharp turn nearly had her falling off, but she merely clung tighter to the girl, her hand landing on something soft. Another shriek pierced Elsa's ears, this time sounding more angry than afraid.

"What kind of a rescue is that?!" the girl shouted as Elsa tried to place her hands somewhere safer, her cheeks heating up behind her helm.

"I just—" Elsa spluttered, her excuses cutting off when she looked ahead and saw the canal rapidly approaching. "Get ready to jump!"

"Like hell I'm going anywhere with you after—"

Elsa didn't wait to let the girl finish, merely wrapped her arms around her waist and heaved them both off into the water as the horse jumped over the canal. They landed with a mighty splash, with Elsa barely having time to take a gulp of air before her head sunk beneath the water. She kept hold of her rescued damsel as best she could, given that she was flailing with panic. But with her armor dragging them both down...that wouldn't be good. Perhaps it would be better to let her go, give her a better chance of not drowning.

A few moments later found them both pulling themselves onto the bank of the canal, drenched to the bone and sputtering for breath. It wasn't long before the girl turned to Elsa, her ire not even the least bit quenched by their dip from the scowl on her dripping face. Elsa was glad she had her helm on to protect from damage, but at the same time it only served to strengthen the ringing in her ears from the girl's hard slap to her head. "Some rescue that was!"

"You're not on the horse anymore, at least!" Elsa snapped back, voice raised since she couldn't quite regain her hearing just yet, "A simple 'thank you' would be nice!"

The girl's cheeks burned, but she tilted her head and gave a small, grudging nod. Heaving a sigh of relief, Elsa endeavored to push herself off the ground, rising on shaky legs from her damp clothes and armor. Once she was on her feet, she offered a hand to the redhead, who took it with a trembling hand of her own.

For a moment, they merely stood there, staring at each other before the girl broke the silence with, "What, are you expecting a kiss or something?"

This time it was Elsa's turn to blush and sputter. "N-No, that's not what I...Erm...That is…" She cleared her throat and looked away, muttering, "This did not turn out how I imagined…"

"Considering how you were trampled the first time, I doubt that," the girl said, and Elsa's cheeks burned further.

"And how would you have gone about rescuing yourself?" Elsa asked blandly, crossing her arms and staring into the water they had climbed out of. "From what I remember, the whole kingdom could hear your screaming."

"Yeah, well, you try staying quiet astride a wild stallion."

 _Why were you even…_ Elsa shook her head, not even bothering to complete the thought—all that mattered was that no one had been gravely hurt by the whole ordeal. "As it stands, I am glad you are now safe, if a little… wet."

"You should see yourself," the girl retorted with the faintest hint of a smirk, "Not exactly the picture of a 'dashing' knight if you look more like a drowned rat with armor."

"'One's outward countenance matters not if their inward image is one of goodness,'" Elsa recited, removing her helmet and wringing out her matted braid all the same. She winced at the tugging on her scalp, but she knew it would be necessary to keep her from catching her dea—what was that strangled noise? She looked up and found the girl she rescued to be gaping at her.

Apparently, the sound came from her.

"Are… you okay?" Elsa asked tentatively, not wanting another outburst directed at her. Her hands left her braid, allowing it to fall onto her left shoulder like it usually did, and the girl inhaled sharply.

"I," she began, sounding choked, "you—you're, uh, what? I mean—"

Speaking of sharp things...her sword is still back at where this whole mess began. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me." _Oh, God's blood and bones...if it's not there, what is a knight supposed to do without a weapon to protect and defend…?!_

"But— wait!"

A hand grabbed her arm as Elsa made to turn away. She turned back, eyebrows raised, to see that the girl was chewing on her lip anxiously. Her freckled cheeks had reddened with heat for some reason, teal eyes darting about to look everywhere except at Elsa's own.

"I… haven't thanked you yet." In the short time Elsa knew this girl, her mumble seemed uncharacteristic when compared to her...feisty behavior before. She stepped closer, her hand still gripping Elsa's arm. Elsa blinked, unsure of her intentions...until the girl stood on the very tips of her toes to press a brief kiss to the knight's cheek.

Shock rang throughout Elsa's body, freezing her in place. When the girl pulled away a heartbeat later, Elsa had yet to move; her mouth parted in surprise. All Elsa had time to do was blink once more before she leaned in again, this time pressing their lips together, albeit chastely.

"Anna," the girl said when they parted, a shy smile curving onto her lips, "that's my name...which I probably should have told you sooner...huh?"

"I'm… Elsa," was her dazed reply.

"Elsa...of King Arthur's court, you mean?" Anna asked, eyes widening, and Elsa ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I have hardly lived up to my name, have I?" Trampled by a horse on her first pass...oh, her fellow knights would never let her hear the end of that…

"Well, your beauty certainly matches the legends…" Anna murmured, then coughed and reddened.

"Oh…" Elsa said as her face took on a similar heat to the girl before her, "I...that is, I've said before that outward appearances don't...reflect the worth of a knight." She paused for a moment, and then added, "But, um, thank you."

They stood there for another moment, smiling shyly at each other before Elsa stiffened at the reminder of her forgotten sword.

"I really must away," she said regretfully, her eyes falling on Anna's lips before she realized where she was looking. The blush on her cheeks grew in strength as she forced herself to look away, gently tugging her arm out of Anna's grasp.

"Can I go with you?" Anna blurted, matching Elsa's steps hurriedly.

"Why?" the knight asked with a furrow of her brow.

"I have no ties holding me here," Anna explained, her hands clasped in front of her pleading face, "I had… procured that horse to take me away from this village, so that I could strike out on my own, but you see how that turned out."

Oh, yes...Elsa certainly had the bruises to show for it. But her pride had been wounded more than her body, and travelling with Anna might give her ample opportunity to restore her honor. She certainly couldn't return to King Arthur's court as she is now with this shame lingering over her… "The road will be fraught with peril, as I tend to seek peril out," Elsa warned.

"I live for peril!" Anna exclaimed, clenching a fist before her for emphasis and proceeding to feign punching an imaginary opponent. Elsa chuckled and clasped Anna's shoulder.

"Very well...you can join me until you find something on our travels that calls to you," she said with a small smile. The elated whoop that Anna let out made Elsa laugh heartily. "You know...you're not that bad when you aren't yelling at me."

"I'm passionate," Anna corrected defensively, "And _you_ were the one who grabbed my—"

"Ohhh please don't say it," Elsa groaned, running a gauntleted hand down her heated face. A wicked grin grew on Anna's lips. _Perhaps I should reconsider after all if she's looking at me like that…_

But deep down, Elsa knew it was already far too late to leave Anna behind. Bonded by circumstance, they were—after all, it would be hard to forget someone you nearly could have died with… It would be interesting to see how they lived together, instead. And if she had to consider looks, well...Anna certainly had a beauty to her, previously overshadowed by the frantic events of before. The brilliant smile Anna levied at Elsa now certainly highlighted that beauty.

"Tell me, Anna...you're not just coming along because I'm a pretty face, are you?" Elsa asked, the lilt in her voice almost teasing as they walked through the village streets. Anna seemed only mildly flustered, sweeping her gaze over Elsa's body with a smirk. The knight pouted at the obvious appraisal and proceeded to place her helm back over her head.

Anna laid a soothing hand on Elsa's arm and said, "Don't worry, Elsa… it's not _just_ because of your pretty face."

"I'm not taking this off, Anna."

Elsa's travel companion laughed at her sullen pout and fell a few steps behind, stating, "There are other views to enjoy on the road, Elsa."

Her helm felt warmer than before...or maybe that was just the blush rising to her cheeks again. "Well, while you're distracted with… other sights, I'll keep my eye out for brigands," she sniffed haughtily. _After I recover my sword, of course…_ Their walk had taken them close to where she had first fallen, and Elsa's heart beat faster, hope that no one had stolen her blade from the street whilst she chased down the wild steed and its unwilling rider.

Her hopes were immediately dashed. In fact, it was a familiar hand that held her sword aloft in the sun, inspecting it, and not a friendly one.

"I wonder what our king would say if he knew you lost the sword he had personally given you?" Sir Hans of the Southern Isles mused, having probably spotted them approaching from his peripheral.

"It is not lost, Sir Hans," Elsa pointed out through gritted teeth, "and I would appreciate you handing it over to me."

"Ah, but you see...the sword isn't in _your_ possession right now, is it?" Hans said, feigning a sorrowful look as he waved that very blade for emphasis, "Therefore, you've lost it...and _I_ have found it." The pleasure he took in her snarl was obvious as he continued, "And what a fine blade it is I have found."

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, nearly bending the metal of her gauntlets.

"Now, Elsa, there's no need to make such a face; I'm not a cruel man by any means…" he simpered, flashing a smile at Anna beside her, "I am willing to return the sword… in exchange for a nominal fee."

" _You are no knight,"_ Elsa spat, taking a step forward, "You bring dishonor to our table, to our king, to chivalry itself for demanding gold from your fellows."

Hans merely scoffed and twirled Elsa's sword around artfully. "This really is a fine sword," he said, completely ignoring her words. "And we, as knights, of course, know that its value lies not only in its steel, but in its history, don't we, Elsa?"

For a moment, both knights merely stared each other down silently, the air crackling between them...before Anna cleared her throat. "What's the price?"

"...Pardon?" Hans asked, maintaining that infuriating smile of his.

"What's the _price_?" Anna repeated, smiling back so aggressively that Hans nearly took a step back. "Surely you aren't as stupid as you look to not know what it means?"

Hans' smile faltered, and his lip curled up in a sneer. "As if a whore like you could afford my terms." Elsa clenched a fist, tempted to slam it into Hans' face. Before she could even bring herself to do so, however, Anna did it for her.

The height that Hans reached as he flew through the air from Anna's strike was impressive. Her speed was, too—Elsa swore it took only a blink before the redhead crossed the distance and slipped through his slackened defenses. Elsa's sword clattered to the ground in front of Anna, who shook her punching hand and stooped to pick it up. She held it up, inspecting it much like Hans had done before, as the man in question propped himself up on one elbow, using his other hand to touch his now-bloodied nose. "I think that was a fair price after all, don't you, Elsa?"

She settled for a nod, still stunned by what just occurred. Anna presented the sword to her with a smile, and Elsa took it gingerly, glancing over it before sheathing it quickly.

"You...Don't think I'll let this go without consequence!" Hans spat as he scrambled to his feet, blood leaking through his fingers. Elsa gripped the hilt of her sword and stepped forward.

"King Arthur will hear of this—mark my words," she declared, narrowing her eyes.

"We'll see about that," Hans snapped, practically crawling away, his back hunched and his hand held over his nose.

Elsa watched him go for a moment before turning to Anna with a broad smile on her face. "Well, _you_ can certainly hold your own, if against men and not horses."

"Thanks!" Anna said, returning her smile. "It'll be good that I'm around if you run into jerks like that all the time."

The thought was heartwarming, and Elsa's cheeks nearly ached from the force of her smile. "Don't worry, Anna; it's not merely your incredible punching prowess that I will keep you around… your pretty face does wonders as well," she teased. Anna swatted halfheartedly at her arm in response, giggling. "Continue striking my enemies down for me, and I'll have to make you my squire."

"A squire helps their knight get dressed, don't they?" Anna teased in return, her voice almost a purr.

Elsa's face burned at that thought, and at the thought of Anna assisting her in _un_ dressing as well. "O-Or perhaps we should just stay as traveling companions."

Anna merely smiled, the expression mysterious and almost… sultry. Elsa gulped, flicking her visor down to hide her face and abruptly striding away towards the inn that served as her temporary lodging.

This journey would prove to be trying in ways she had never anticipated.

* * *

 **THE END**

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 **Contributors for this round:** The Wandering Quill, Immi, CanITellUSmThin, Cyrianu, Issandri


	2. A Heated Duel

**Prompt:** jousting tournament where Elsa and Anna go against each other in the finals.

* * *

 **A Heated Duel**

* * *

It was a sunny day in the kingdom of Arendelle—a fine day for a jousting finals had officially started with the crowds chanting for whoever they were rooting on. Among the knights participating today, Lady Anna of the White Stripe seemed to hold most of the crowd's favor.

"Anna! Anna!" they all cheered, but there were still echoes of other voices, chanting for the opposing knight.

"Elsa, Elsa!" came the second loudest cheer, with more than a few waving blue banners emblazoned with a white snowflake.

There were still a few seconds left before they got themselves ready to face each other on the field, with wounds from other matches still engraved deep into their skin and their armor growing a bit heavier throughout every single match. The crowd roared its approval when the two knights finally emerged from their respective tents, with Elsa clad in white and blue, and Anna clad in green with white stripes.

They smiled at each other, but they knew, in a minute, they wouldn't be smiling like that anymore with their swords clanging against the other, and the scorching heat of the sun blazing down on them intensely. They had more cause to fight against each other than most, seeing as they had met the day before at a local tavern and gotten into a...disagreement.

A very important disagreement that just so happened to have something to do with a giant bar of deliciously sweet chocolate. One thing led to the other, and now here they were, at a local jousting tournament ready to prove themselves to the other.

Anna made a show of lifting her sword high and beaming up at her supporters, who roared in approval, while Elsa schooled her expression to a cold mask and simply moved to get up on her horse. Oddly enough, the indifferent demeanor seemed to energize her supporters, who wildly waved their banners as both knights took their positions at opposite ends of the field.

Everything went tense as they waited for the announcement for the joust to begin. Anna shifted about restlessly as the overseer drawled out his words, her steed reflecting her impatience by stamping his hooves and trying to toss his head. A shout heralded the start of the contest, and had Anna leaning forward, urging her horse on towards her sworn enemy. The air rang with the cacophonous sound of rapid hoofbeats against the earth as both knights readied their jousting lances to either unhorse the other, or break their shield.

Elsa tightened her grip on her jousting lance, leaning over her horse as they sped straight towards the other knight and dirt quickly accumulating the air. She could almost see Anna's scowling face across from her as they drew closer. And closer.

The crowd roared as the two knights impacted against the other's lance, both of them falling off of their horses and onto the muddy earth below. Anna was quick to rise to her feet, drawing her sword and standing defensively.

"Wow," she chuckled, her breathing already ragged and hurried from the heavy impact. "You really know your stuff. Take it easy on me, will you?" she smirked.

Elsa merely glared at her, uttering a cry as she drew her own sword and moved to attack. Their swords clashed with a terrible sound, the strength of the strike rattling their arms and causing Elsa to almost drop her blade.

But instantly, she'd gotten use to the woman's strength, her blade making an impact against her opponents without even losing her grip. The muddy ground was starting to prove bothersome, as Elsa nearly slipped once or twice as they fought...and the same could be said for Anna, it seemed.

Their feet squelched in the mud disgustingly as they danced around each other, swords clanging and loud grunts sounding from their throats with each strike. With each close swipe or parry the audience's roars grew louder and more insistent upon their champion winning the match.

Until Anna slipped and accidentally tackled Elsa to the ground in a metallic heap, straddling her waist. Elsa grunted, paying no mind to the weight on her chest except to dislodge it with a heaving buck of her hips, leaping to pin Anna in turn and landing with Anna's head between her knees when she overestimated the distance. Before she could scramble off to correct her mistake, her opponent grabbed her waist and threw her so that her back hit the ground once more...and apparently brought Anna along with the momentum, so that the knight's stunned face was a mere hand's breadth away from the apex of her thighs.

The rushing in Elsa's ears stopped her from hearing the confused murmurs replacing the cheers from the crowd as she slithered away from her opponent. "Y-You vile cur!" she hissed, cheeks aflame as she brandished her sword with less vigor than when their match had first begun.

Anna's own cheeks matched the color of Elsa's as she readied her own sword, but the mud made the handle slick and she nearly dropped it, she retorting, "If anyone here is a vile cur, it's you!"

"Who was the one with her head between my legs?!" Elsa whispered fiercely, too embarrassed by the reality of the situation to speak of it too loud...even though the crowd undoubtedly saw _everything_.

"That… that wasn't intentional!" Anna spluttered out defensively, lunging at Elsa with her mud drenched sword. Gritting her teeth, the blonde stepped forward to meet her, sword angled to deflect and parry the incoming blow...only for the ground to give way beneath her as her foot slipped in the mud.

Down Elsa went once more, her legs flying out from under her and her back meeting the moist earth with a wet slap. Down Anna went once more, heaving forward and landing with her gauntlets slapping onto Elsa's breastplate with a wet slap. For a moment, the two knights merely stared at each other—horrified, embarrassed, furious—before the overseer declared their match a draw on account of poor fighting conditions...as if they had any hand in picking literally _the only muddy area_ of the entire field to fight in anyway…

The two knights left the arena, shamefaced and irritated, no one quite sure what to do with them. Their prize money was instead collected by the knight who would have placed third—Sir Christopher, or something like that. And he also got some scrumptious chocolate as well.

 _Chocolate that I should've gotten…_ Anna mentally grumbled as she began peeling off her dirtied armor, the caked mud on her clothes and skin flaking with every movement. She was in dire need of a bath, to wash away the mud as well as the shame of losing to a knight like Lady Elsa. She unceremoniously tossed her armor off to the side as she stomped towards the steamy hot spring. She tugged at her tunic, thoroughly irritated, and discarded it along with her trousers at the spring's edge, eyes sweeping out to the water to see—

That aggravating blonde knight disrobing on the other side of the springs!

Their eyes met in spite of the steam rising up from the water, and Anna made a sound that distinctly wasn't human. Balling her hands into tight fists, she charged towards the other woman and snarled, "You!"

"Me," Elsa snarled right back, and Anna tried not to notice the way her breasts bounced when the other knight crossed her arms over them, "as in, _I'm_ using this spring right now, and you can either wait your turn or find some other place!"

"Excuse you," Anna hissed in irritation, "but this spring doesn't belong to you so you can't tell me what to do!"

"Well, the least you could do after violating me on the field is to give me some proper privacy!" the blonde retorted even as a blush coated her cheeks at the words.

Anna tossed her head back, laughing heartily as she slapped a hand over her face and said, "I told you it was an accident, jeez, please get over yourself!" Her laughter continued as she added, "It's not like I find you attractive, with that golden hair of yours, those shapely thighs, those hips, your...erm…"

Surprise flashed across Elsa's face and her arms lowered a fraction, the movement drawing Anna's attention to her voluptuous northern peaks. She inhaled so sharply, she might as well have stabbed herself...but she didn't, merely coughing and spluttering instead as her laughter abruptly died.

Realizing too late what she said out loud and the area her eyes were quite firmly fixed on, Anna quickly tried to cover it up by insultingly saying, "Why in the world would I possibly be attracted to someone who can hardly use a sword properly?"

Elsa gritted her teeth, uncrossing her arms to grab Anna's shoulders and lean in to snarl, "You and I know what happened out there was a fluke, but let me assure you, I can just as easily take you down with my bare hands instead."

Touching noses with Elsa, Anna challenged with a smirk, "Then show me what you got!"

Perhaps Elsa meant to say something in response, or perhaps simply move in to indeed rise to Anna's challenge… whichever the case, she must have misjudged the distance needed, for with the two so close together as is, it shouldn't be completely surprising that their lips would brush.

They both froze at the slight contact, eyes locked and wide with shock… and then they attacked each other like animals in heat.

Anna's hands reached up to tangle in soft blonde hair as Elsa crushed their mouths together, bumping their teeth almost painfully, hungry as they were for the other. A loud, longing moan passed between Anna's lips to Elsa's as the blonde's hands roved up and down her sides, exploring her lithe body with fervor. They parted when the need for air grew too strong, panting heavily into the scant space between them.

"What… what is this?" Anna breathed out dazedly. She was still gripping Elsa's hair; she could still stop this...whatever _this_ was.

Elsa considered the answer for a few long seconds and finally responded, licking her lips as a devilish smile formed on them, "Perhaps we could dub this as a rematch?"

 _By God_ , how that smile sent heat shooting to her loins… "Well then," Anna whispered, dipping forward in preparation of capturing the blonde's luscious lips with her own once more, "may the best woman win."

Elsa chuckled, soft and low, and their mouths heatedly met again, with Anna pushing the blonde forward until her back hit a rocky outcropping, half submerged and angled just right to suit their needs. Anna straddled the blonde's waist —this time completely intentionally— and marveled at the delightful sensation of their heated flesh pressed against each other. Not one to be bested, Elsa took the opportunity to be the aggressor once more, firmly flicking her tongue against Anna's lips to seek entrance. The redhead was more than happy to oblige, granting the frisky muscle access within and eagerly meeting it with her own. A moan soon crawled its way out of her throat when she felt Elsa palming her breasts, thumbs brushing over her rapidly hardening tips.

Anna didn't realize how sensitive her body was, never once having experienced such exquisite pleasure from a simple touch that had her back arching and chest thrusting forward, pushing her breasts further into Elsa's hands and begging for more of her touch.

And the knight obliged.

"God, yes," Anna groaned with approval, eyes slamming closed as Elsa masterfully fondled her breasts. Her hips began to buck as heat pooled further between her legs, and the water around them churned as Elsa returned her grinding with equal fervor.

One of Elsa's hands strayed from Anna's chest to cup her behind, squeezing the rounded flesh and guiding Anna's movements as their bodies undulated together so sweetly. A cry escaped from the woman below her as their folds eventually met from the thrusting, and a shock of pleasure raced down Anna's spine at the thought of copulating in this manner.

Oh, it was exhilarating!

"Ah...A-Anna!" Elsa moaned, legs coming up to wrap around the redhead's waist.

An overwhelming sense of pride swelled deep within Anna's chest at the sound of her name being called out so beautifully and she ground their sexes together harder, their sweat as well as other bodily fluids combining with the water swirling around them. Hands left her breasts to cup her face, and Elsa tugged her down into a searing kiss that matched the heat of the spring. Anna melted willingly into the kiss, tasting the other woman as her hips relentlessly bucked, building the flames coursing in her belly to unbearable levels.

Perhaps at first it had started out as a competition to prove their superiority over the other, but now with pleasure fogging their minds like the steam rising from the water, the thought of sweet, sweet release was the only thing left to them. And at the rate they were going, it wouldn't be long before they reached that goal.

Anna took Elsa's bottom lip between her own and sucked, her hands roving over the blonde's heaving chest, kneading the soft mounds and rolling her nipples—

Elsa jerked and cried out in ecstasy, her nails scratching and digging into Anna's smooth, damp back as her body grew taut, all the pleasure building up from their strenuous activity finally releasing itself. The tension over the course of the day spilled over and Anna surged into her release as well, her body frozen while the pleasure ran its course through her body.

With a final exhausted groan, Anna flopped weightlessly on top of Elsa, resting her head on the other woman's chest and listening to the rapid thumping of her heart as a lazy but content smile curled the corners of her lips upwards. She felt fingers in her hair, idly stroking, and the next moment passed by in comfortable silence.

And through the warm silence, they could feel their own heart beating against each other's chest, Anna's chuckles ringing in the hot air, "I win this round; I made you come first."

Elsa tilted Anna's head back just enough for her mouth to reach the younger woman's throat, and she sucked hard on her pulse point, leaving a noticeable red mark and, smiling triumphantly, she declared, "I think this mark proves otherwise."

Huffing, Anna angled her head to leave a mark of her own in retaliation, but Elsa merely twisted away, laughing.

She pouted, "You're not being fair."

"Not all battles are fought fairly," Elsa said with a chuckle. Pressing a brief kiss to Anna's temple, she added, "If they were, perhaps one of us would have walked away with the prize instead of Sir Kristoff."

"You know it wasn't intentional that… you know, my head was right _there_. I lost my footing."

"I was so intent on defeating you," the blonde said with another chuckle, but much quieter this time, "I still want to, of course—just thinking of what you said at the tavern yesterday still makes my blood boil."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm as furious as you are. Too bad you can't do anything about it, anymore."

She nearly shrieked when she felt fingers sliding near the apex of her thighs, growing aroused yet again when Elsa murmured in her ear, "There is always a second round...to settle this once and for all."

The redhead shuddered at the fingers rising up to her burning core, barely making out a moan, "This is not what I-I'm talking about."

It may not be what she had in mind, but her body had no qualms with it.

* * *

With moans still echoing through the misty air, the two women didn't even notice the sound of approaching footsteps, not when they were getting too distracted by their own pleasure.

Kristoff hummed as he walked, shedding his clothes and leaving them in the same pile as another knight's, apparently—maybe he and the other man could share battle stories as they soaked in the spring, or maybe talk about the amusing display at the tournament's finals between those two lady knights.

" _Oh… Elsa… hgnn…"_

Or perhaps, watching the display of those two lady knights… naked… and kissing…

Kristoff's face heated considerably as he froze in his steps, one foot already submerged in the spring, and eyes unable to tear themselves away from the sight of Anna and Elsa _clearly_ fornicating nearby.

So maybe he should just quietly leave the place while they were still at it, but that didn't even seem to cross his mind—actually, nothing seemed to have crossed his mind as he mindlessly stared at the two.

Not until, of course, an indignant shriek reached his ears as one of them spotted him.

He blinked as if he'd just woken up from a wonderful dream… and now, he was staring at the women in horror. With his senses screaming at him to run lest he lose his life to their fury, Kristoff scrambled around to leave, nearly tripping in his haste as he snatched his clothes off the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know there were people in here!" he yelled, voice frantic, trying to avoid as much eye contact with those glares as he could. A rock hit his shoulder, and he took that as his sign to leave _**now**_ , barely able to slip on his trousers before another thrown rock grazed his arm.

"You took our chocolate and now you're peeping on us?! How dare you!" Anna screamed, picking up every little thing beside her to throw.

And so the unfortunate knight fled the hot spring, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Elsa behind to restrain the seething redhead and prevent her from committing bloody murder.

No need to make the day even _more_ exciting, hm?

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

Contributors who participated: The Wandering Quill, iamrottingunman, CanITellUSmThin, Pankite, Issandri, Cyrianu. Thank you!


	3. For Her Honor

**Prompt:** Elsa is a squire training under Anna to become a knight → someone insults Anna and Elsa challenges them to a duel for her honor CUZ CHIVALRY

* * *

 **For Her Honor**

* * *

Unlike a few of their more conservative neighbors, Arendelle had quite a few female knights among their ranks. And although the title of 'Lady' was bestowed upon them rather than 'Sir', these women vastly differed from the usual 'Ladies' found at court and elsewhere. For there were Ladies...but then there were _Ladies_. Indeed, it would not be inaccurate to say that there was little difference between Sirs and Ladies. While some certainly had a softer side and enjoyed a few of the more traditional pursuits in their spare time, all of these women were knights in every sense of the word.

Loyal. Honorable. Worthy. Capable of performing impressive feats of arms.

After all...they wouldn't have earned their status otherwise.

Among these female knights was Lady Anna of the Crocus—a feisty redhead whose jousting skills were unmatched throughout the land. While she was not the most skilled knight on foot, she could hold her own well enough to still be a formidable foe. Her true strength, however, rested in fighting on horseback.

...Unfortunately for Elsa, Lady Anna's lovestruck squire, the blonde had what felt like the poorest luck with horses imaginable.

"Oof!" Elsa cried out as she introduced her back to the hard, unforgiving earth below. Her horse— _a spawn of the devil, no doubt!_ —merely snorted at her and trotted away further into the training field, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

Laughter reached her ears, and a part of Elsa wanted no more than to sink into the earth out of shame. Instead, she resigned herself to simply laying there, running a gloved hand down her face.

"I think you beat your last record with that, squire." The voice was far off, but she would recognize it from anywhere. The same with the laughter.

 _Lady Anna...Oh, God._ Elsa stifled a groan as footsteps approached. Lowering her hand, she saw her mentor coming to a stop beside her, hands on her hips as a broad grin curled its way onto her freckled face. She had forgone her armor for the day, as there was no need for it with today's training focusing on helping Elsa improve her skills on horseback.

Elsa herself had requested it, after all—bringing dishonor upon Anna with her deplorable abilities in a field her mentor was so proficient at was...unacceptable.

"Now, now, no need for that look." Anna chuckled at her and it took every ounce of willpower for Elsa to keep the embarrassed blush off of her cheeks, "You'll get the hang of it eventually, not everyone is good at horseback at first and this is only your fourth time attempting it."

 _Fourth time attempting it with each attempt being from crack of dawn to setting sun and I still can barely get on the horse before being thrown…_ Elsa thought with a huff as she painstakingly sat back up. Her body was bruised and sore all over. ' _I haven't been in this much pain since Milady first started teaching me the sword…'_

The knight reached a hand out, smiling good-naturedly. "It's tough work to get through, but I'm sure you'll be riding as good as me in no time at all."

Elsa gratefully took the hand and let out a surprised sound as she was effortlessly yanked up. Even after all this time, the strength in the shorter woman still both stunned Elsa and filled her with awe. She managed to get herself balanced on her feet before she could stumble into Anna like she did almost too often...not every time by accident. "Thank you, mi'lady."

"Not a problem, squire," Anna answered with a laugh, "Alright, I think that's enough for today—let's go down to the pub! I'm starving!"

The thought of food was certainly an agreeable one—nothing warmed the belly faster than a plate of hot food and good drink. Already, Elsa's stomach wanted to rumble in approval at the idea, however…

"If you do not mind, mi'lady...I wish to stay here for a while longer," she said, managing a smile and praying it did not reflect how sore she felt right now. "I am certain the other squires training today would be envious if I were to leave much earlier than they."

The knight frowned, her brow furrowing with the action. "Are you sure?" she asked, and Elsa's heart ached at the concern leaking into her mentor's voice.

"I am sure," the blonde said with a nod. Earnestly, she continued, "Please, do not let my desire to learn hinder you, Lady Anna."

It took another moment of staring; of the redhead working her jaw, and teal eyes sliding up to look at the sky in thought before the knight finally heaved a great sigh. "You'll be a great squire—I know that. I just wish you'd loosen up from time to time…" Anna reached a hand up to rub behind her neck, looking almost nervous. "Er...don't push yourself too hard...understood? And don't hesitate to ask Kristoff for help or questions while I'm gone. I mean...you're three years older than me and can probably hold your own just fine, but...I can't help but…erm..."

Elsa's smile grew, her gaze softening. "I think I understand, mi'lady," she said softly despite the growing ache in her heart. The knight really was too kind.

Anna smiled. "Well, I think I'll get us food; I'm sure you're starving."

"Very." Elsa watched the woman leave for the crowd of people ordering their own food and drinks. And as soon as the redhead disappeared into the crowd, she sighed to herself. Training with Anna… was especially exhausting. Hard. Frustrating. And she had only been with her for just a few weeks.

Oh, where did all her manners go? Her grace? Sophistication?

Elsa had almost forgotten that she had once been the daughter of a wealthy nobleman before she became Anna's faithful squire. When was the last time she had seen her father's face? To taste the family cook's wonderful meals? To actually wear those cumbersome dresses, and really like them? She couldn't recall, knowing how low she had gone classwise.

It was a small sacrifice to make.

But that was alright. She wanted to become a knight—dreamt of it, and Anna was trying her very best to make her newly changed life as comfortable as she possibly can. It was a hard life, really, but other than that… it was surprisingly comfortable.

Nobody could judge her for the way she could act… say…

Elsa blinked. "Shit, my horse!"

...She could swear, for one.

The stallion was already half way across the field by the time Elsa noticed him. She could hear the snickers of some of the other squires at her expense and her ears burned as she ran after him. Lady Anna only had two horses: her own and the one she had loaned Elsa for practice, and she would be damned if she let the animal escape and hurt himself.

It took her almost twenty minutes to finally catch the beast and if she had been sore before, she hurt like hell now. Still, his reins were in her hands and while he looked irritated and would throw his head up on occasion, he followed along behind her calmly enough. It took a relatively short time for them to get back to where her and Anna were previously training and Elsa felt relieved that the knight was still nowhere to be found.

"—ill can't believe she took _her_ as a squire. Then again, Lady Anna does have poor taste."

 _...What?_

Elsa wasn't sure when she stopped in her tracks.

She wasn't sure exactly when she had walked up to the other squires, either. All she knew was the fury thundering along her veins, her blood pounding in her ears as she narrowed her eyes at the squire that had made the remark. " _What_ did you say?" the blonde hissed, voice as cold as the ice others had likened her eyes to.

The squire who spoke up gave her a weary glare. "Didn't your master ever teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?" He grunted. He puffed out his chest and stood at his full height in an attempt to intimidate Elsa but the blonde was far too riled up to even bat an eye at the display.

"Didn't yours ever teach you that talking poorly about one of the castle's best knights is severely frowned upon?" She shot back. Her gauntleted fists clenched at her side.

The man laughed. "What are you going to do, lady? Go to your mum and cry about it?"

Elsa's eye twitched. "Unfortunately, I don't have a mum, so no. But you will."

She yanked off her gauntlet, throwing it down in front of the squire that had insulted Lady Anna. Not once did her gaze leave his. The other squires immediately ceased in their chuckling as a more serious air descended upon all of them. Joking was one thing...but a duel for another's honor was an entirely different matter.

"O-Oi, just leave it be, Gideon," one of the other squires said, all bravado gone. "Sir Kristoff might notice if we start dueling—"

"To hell what Sir Kristoff might think!" Gideon hissed, glaring at them before turning back to fix that very glare on Elsa. "If Lady Anna's bitch wants to fight, then I can't argue with that!"

Elsa could feel the familiar rush of blood; adrenaline rushing in her veins as she watched Gideon pick the gauntlet up and stride over to hand it back to her. Excitement and anger both coursed through her as she took it—one at the upcoming duel and the other at the smug smirk on Gideon's face. She was very much looking forward to wiping it off when she sent him sprawling to the ground.

Elsa put her gauntlet back on and the two readied themselves, drawing their swords. Gideon's stance was almost perfect; she could tell he trained hard under Sir Kristoff's tutelage. And Sir Kristoff _was_ an excellent knight.

 _But not as excellent as Lady Anna,_ she thought with a grin.

The tips of their swords tapped together briefly...and so their duel began.

* * *

"You know...when I said to 'loosen up', I didn't think it would mean like this," Anna joked, a small chuckle passing through her lips. "Picking fights? Doesn't seem like you, squire."

Elsa winced, though she wasn't sure if it was simply Anna tightening the bandages on her leg...or the fear of disappointing her mentor with her reckless challenge earlier. At least outwardly, the knight didn't seem too upset over the turn of events in her absence…

"Still," said knight continued, nudging Elsa out of her thoughts, "I'm impressed you managed to give Gideon a good thrashing with your sword before Kristoff came over to stop you two."

"He...didn't really stop us," the blonde mumbled, turning her head to the side to avoid looking into Anna's curious gaze. "For all his words, Gideon panicked when he saw Sir Kristoff approaching. He yielded right away."

Anna chuckled again, and Elsa resisted the urge to shiver when she felt the knight trail a finger along her bandages. Her wounds were still sensitive.

"Did I hurt you?" the redhead asked, retreating her finger briefly as concern furrowed her brow. Elsa shook her head.

"Doesn't hurt...just sensitive," she answered, and she blushed faintly as she felt Anna's warm hand rest against her bare shoulder. The redhead's eyes were surprisingly tender; an expression she had yet to see on the confident, cheerful knight.

"Thank you, Elsa."

The sudden gratitude—along with the use of her actual name instead of just 'squire'—took her aback, and Elsa was not able to entirely fight back the blush overtaking her face. The tips of her ears burned as well, and it took all she had not to simply hide her reddening visage behind her hands.

"Why...Why are you thanking me?" Surprisingly, she somehow didn't stutter over her own words. Anna smiled broadly, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"Kristoff told me what Gideon told him. How you wanted to defend my honor," she said, voice taking on a surprisingly tender tone as well. Her gaze softened as she continued, "So thank you...Elsa."

There it was again. Her name on Anna's lips.

Elsa merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak without accidentally slipping out her feelings for the redheaded knight tending to her wounds.

"You know, not a whole lot of people would bother doing what you did," Anna confessed softly. "I am known as strange among the nobility. Unorthodox in the ways of the knight. It's not nearly as uncommon as you think for someone to say something behind my back, Elsa."

Elsa blinked at the unexpected words. "B-But you're so well known! Practically a legend on horseback! Why would they find talking down to you acceptable?"

The hand on her shoulder rubbed the skin very subtly and the chill she had tried so hard to suppress finally shot it's way down her spine and made her shiver. "The other nobles care for my prowess and loyalty, which is why I am mostly allowed to do as I please, but it doesn't mean they have much respect for me beyond that," The words that passed her lips weren't sad nor pained. They were simply accepting of the truth, "After all, having a liking for women is frowned upon in these parts."

"That doesn't give them the right to disres—" Elsa's words ended abruptly and she jerked her head up fast, her jaw flopping open unattractively as she gawked at her mentor, "You… oh." She swallowed heavily and croaked, "Women…?"

Anna laughed gaily at Elsa's stupefied expression. "This is news to you, is it?" she teased.

A strong blush tinted Elsa's cheeks and she nibbled on her lower lip, averting her gaze briefly before returning it back to the red-headed knight's mesmerizing teal eyes. "As a matter of fact, yes," she admitted, and then hastily added, "But knowing this does not change how I think of you! Nor should it affect how other people treat you… and why should it? S-so you like women. Well, who _doesn't_ like women? I'm a woman and I like women and I definitely like you a lot. I mean, you're so agile and strong, smart, wonderful, and so incredibly brave. Any woman lucky enough to catch your eye would be considered the luckiest woman on this earth!"

Silence.

Elsa could hear the feasting down below on the first floor of their quarters, and Sir Kristoff's faint urgings to quell the chaos just a little. Sir Gaston's loud singing easily drifted through the floorboards...and yet, none of these sounds mattered to her. Not when Anna had yet to remark on Elsa's passionate words, uttered unthinkingly and without her usual reserve.

To Elsa, it felt that time had both sped up and stopped all at once. As the seconds passed into well over a minute she felt her heart begin to tug painfully down into her stomach, and she clasped her hands together—left over right—against her chest. "I-I'm sorry…" she began, her speech fragile and meek. "I m-meant no dis-disrespect, Lady Anna." Her voice cracked upon saying the name aloud.

"Hm. I'll accept your apology," Anna said seriously, "on one condition." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her mouth quirking to the side and then her eyes lit up. "No, wait! Make that two!"

Nervously nodding, Elsa wondered what conditions she would be expected to meet. Whatever Lady Anna had planned for her, she would do it without hesitation. No matter how ridiculous or mundane the task may be, even if she ordered her to ride a horse upside down… She would likely fail miserably but she would damn well keep trying until she got it right. "Whatever you wish, Lady Anna."

Anna frowned ever so slightly and raised a finger. "First condition: drop the Lady when you're addressing me if we're alone. Just call me Anna, please."

Puzzled, Elsa's eyes widened at the unusual request. Addressing Anna by her title was a sign of respect, and to do otherwise would be doing the opposite of that. But… her mentor made herself clear so she decided not to question it. "If that's what you prefer, La —Anna."

Anna beamed brilliantly and patted Elsa carefully on the back. "I do prefer that. Thank you. I know it'll take some getting used to so I won't give you a hard time when you slip up," she promised with a wink.

Ducking her head in a vain attempt to hide her blossoming blush spurred on by the wink, Elsa meagerly said, "That's much appreciated. Thank you… Anna." Strange as it seemed, she actually liked the sound of the other knight's name slipping from her lips without the title preceding it.

"Now for my second condition." Anna leaned in, bringing her face closer to Elsa's.

She was so close that Elsa stopped breathing when the other woman's breath brushed across her face, her heart skipping crazily within her chest. "Y-yes?" she managed to squeak out.

Eyes trained squarely on Elsa's lips, Anna said decisively, "Kiss me."

Elsa glanced around the empty room, as though expecting to find somebody else in there with them, before she returned her gaze to that of the auburn beauty in front of her. As she dropped her right hand to her side, she pointed her index finger at her chest and queried, "M-Me?"

Anna chortled mirthfully in response, only to coyly follow up with "Yes, Elsa. _You_."

With that reassurance, she laid her hand upon the Knight's cheek and leaned in, head canted to the right, and pressed her lips against those she had dreamed of kissing for so long.

Anna's supple lips were heavenly soft, and warm as the beams of sunlight that caressed their uncovered skin during the day. Wanting to immerse herself in Anna completely, Elsa pressed insistently closer. Deepening the kiss, she lifted one hand to tenderly cup the side of the younger knight's face.

She felt Anna's other hand come to rest on her shoulder, and soon Elsa found herself pushed onto the bed as Anna returned her kiss with greater fervor...but unfortunately, the moment was ruined when the blonde flinched from the sensitivity of her wounds. The knight hastily scrambled off of her.

"S-Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Apologies immediately spilled from her mentor's lips, somewhat swollen from their kissing. "I got a little too excited there, haha...Hah…I-I didn't hurt you too much, did I?"

"No!" Elsa hastily exclaimed. She sat up part-way and rested her weight upon her left elbow to face Anna. "No, you didn't hurt me. I'm just a bit… sensitive still." She stretched her right arm to grab hold of the knight's left hand, and gently pulled on it. With a hesitant tremble she uttered, "I can slide over, and you could… lay beside me? I mean… i-if you… want to?"

At the sight of Anna's nod Elsa smiled and shifted to the side. The redhead lay down next to her as carefully as she could, trying not to aggravate Elsa's wounds too much. It made the blonde's smile widen and she eagerly snuggled into the warm side.

Anna's cheeks turned pink.

"S-So…" Elsa gulped. "W-Why did you want to… You know… Kiss me, all of the sudden?" She stared down at her fumbling fingers, unable to even look at Anna in the eyes. She heard a deep sigh coming from the redhead and Elsa tensed, immediately assuming that it was a frustrated one.

"I thought you've wanted to kiss me for a while now." Anna chuckled. "I assumed you were just too shy to actually do it."

"B-But I did it."

"Well, of course you did. You were only listening to your mentor, not acting at your own will." There was a slight disappointment in her voice.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed loudly, startling Anna who jumped slightly at the sudden outburst. "I'm so sorry. It's not that I didn't want to kiss you—I assure you, I most certainly did. But, yes, I was shy, and… I kept making a fool of myself in front of you, and I thought… well, I didn't know you liked women for starters. But even if you _did_ , why would you ever want to be with your lowly squire who can't even ride a horse? And…" Elsa's voice trailed off.

Anna merely smiled at her. " _And?_ "

Elsa felt her cheeks begin to burn, and tried to bury her face in her hands. But her movement was halted by the firm grip of freckled hands upon her own, as tanned fingers intertwined with pale ivory ones.

"What else were you going to say, Elsa?" Anna prodded.

"And… and…" To her dismay, Elsa had completely forgotten the rest of what she had wanted to say, distracted by the solid touch of the beautiful woman laying mere inches away from her, as well as the sound of her name so wonderfully uttered from between her precious lips. Lips that were increasingly drawing closer and closer to her own once again, but not quite reaching hers.

This time when Elsa attempted to close the distance she was disappointed to find Anna moving away from her. Taking the evasion as a sign that she had overstepped her boundaries, she apologized profusely, only shutting up when Anna leveled her with a look and squeezed her hand.

"We really need to work on your confidence, Elsa," Anna stated disapprovingly. "You need to be more assertive and daring. Remember, you are training to be a courageous knight! I know you have it in you! Challenging Gideon to a duel in my honor when you're not at your optimum skill level is proof of your brave and noble heart."

 _If a knight needs to be assertive and daring, then I...I…_

A knock on the door nearly had them falling off the bed with how quickly they jerked away from each other. Thankfully they didn't, though Elsa's wounds began to sting a little from her sudden movement.

"Erm...Anna? Are you and Elsa still in there?" Sir Kristoff's muffled voice sounded through the wooden door.

"Yes! We'll be out in just a second!" Anna called out, sounding slightly miffed by the interruption. Turning back to Elsa, she offered a smile and said, "I suppose we should head on down to eat. After all that training plus your little impromptu duel, I bet you're famished!"

Elsa was apprehensive knowing that Kristoff may still be in the hallway. Yet, she still endeavoured to display to her mentor, her—well, she didn't know exactly _what_ they were at this point—that she _could_ be brave and assertive. She took Anna's hand in hers, raised it to her mouth, and pressed her lips lightly against freckled knuckles. "We shall continue our conversation after we eat then?"

She had kept her eyes trained on her companion's visage the entire time. Anna's already flushed cheeks further reddened, masking the freckles scattered across them, and followed by her pink lips forming a small "o", accompanied by the widening of teal eyes before those lips turned upward into a wide smile once more.

The squire felt a chill run up her spine as the younger woman purred, "Yes, this _conversation_ certainly shall continue after supper. I'll return to my quarters for an hour after we eat to give us both some time to clean up after the day, then rejoin you back here?"

Elsa merely settled for a nod, her throat running dry at the thought of later and whatever would come their way. Anna's smile grew, and the knight leaned forward—quick as lightning—to press a kiss to Elsa's cheek before standing up to walk over to the door. Elsa sat up, reaching for her tunic to cover her bandaged torso as Anna opened the door a little to greet her fellow knight.

* * *

Supper was of the usual. Wine accompanied with delicious variety of food, loud chattering—mostly Kristoff taking every little chance to get himself and others drunk for the night. It was quite a festive evening, but Elsa didn't feel quite up for it tonight.

She'd been thinking about the words that Anna had spoken to her, and trying to get rid of the pain that surfaced around her torso for the day. Usually, she was quiet… but not _this quiet._

"Hey, are you alright?" Anna questioned, her eyebrows quirking with worries. She held Elsa's hand.

Surprisingly, the blonde didn't flinch away from her touch. "I'm… fine," she smiled, uneasily.

"Thinking about before?" Anna took a big gulp of wine.

The blonde shrugged. "I guess…"

"Don't worry about it for now, we'll talk after dinner and we can make sure that… we've gotten our feelings straightened up."

Anna smiled as she gave Elsa's hand a squeeze. She looked like she was about to say more, but one of her fellow knights called for her across the spacious hall, urging her to join them in some contest. "I suppose I should go humor them for a bit," the redhead sighed when more of her peers joined in.

Elsa hid a smile behind her hand, chuckling a little at her mentor's enthusiastic friends. "I'll be cheering for you, then. Whatever it is."

Sticking her tongue out, Anna stood up from where they were sitting and made her way across the dining hall to her fellow knights. Elsa watched her go, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her palm. The memory of their kiss flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself, nearly using her other hand to cover her face from the blush threatening to rise to her cheeks.

Someone sat down next to her, loudly setting down two tankards of mead. Elsa almost jumped at the suddenness of it all, head whipping around to take stock of the newcomer, only to relax a little upon seeing that it was only Sir Kristoff.

"Well someone looks happy. Kind of. Drink some mead!" he laughed loudly, his arm slung around Elsa's shoulders.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Sir Kristoff, I think you've drunk too much." Turning to him, she could already smell the scent of alcohol all over him, his cheeks getting redder with every gulp he'd taken. He still had those tankards in his hands, filled with the amber liquid.

He grumbled, "Come on, it's a party, you're supposed to drink! And why aren't you? What are you thinking, hm?" He wiggled his eyebrows, his eyes roaming around the crowded room. "You fancy someone here? Ooh, he looks cute, go talk to him."

With every little slurred words that came out of his mouth, the more irritated and bothered Elsa was getting.

"No, I don't fancy someone here."

Elsa didn't know what he was laughing about, but she was pretty sure it was another one of his odd behaviors, getting drunk. "Well then, whoooo?"

"I'm...I'm not telling you," she said, attempting to sound more assertive. While she respected Sir Kristoff, his questions were dancing a little too close to—

"Anna's lucky she's got someone so loyal. Treat her well, promise?" the blond knight whispered, leaning towards her, and Elsa couldn't help but startle at the change in demeanor. His cheeks were still red from drink, posture relaxed and loose...but his eyes were clear. Sir Kristoff angled his head, grinning broadly as he raised his voice. "Good job today, squire! We'll make a knight out of you yet!" Laughing loudly, he gave her a hefty pat on the back and walked away from her table, leaving her the other tankard of mead.

Elsa merely stared after the burly blond, dumbfounded.

 _Does he… Does he know?_

But it didn't matter if he knew or not. She had more things to worry about than her feelings for Anna getting too easily exposed to others.

Getting up from her seat, she searched around the dining hall to find that the familiar redhead was gone. She didn't have that great of an appetite, anyway. Making her way through all these knights to the main hall was nearly impossible when half of them were drunk as hell and the other half just didn't bother to move.

Eventually she found her way back to her room… where Anna was waiting, sitting by the bed.

She smiled at the stunned blonde. "Hey. We need to talk, don't we?"

"W-we do," Elsa said, ducking her head and, when Anna patted the bed beside her, taking a seat. Her heart beat so loudly in her chest it was a wonder the knight couldn't hear it.

"Relax, Elsa." It was more Anna's smile than her words that made Elsa calm slightly. But still, her hands wrung tightly in her lap, and her gaze zeroed in on the floor until she felt the tip of Anna's finger on her chin. Elsa turned her head towards Anna, her eyes falling to Anna's lips, which were quirked in an odd smile. "I suppose you have good reason to be nervous." Anna's expression grew more serious. "I want to… apologize to you, Elsa."

"Apologize?" Elsa repeated breathlessly, stopping herself from leaning into Anna's hand as it drew away.

"I fear I may have taken advantage of you, as your mentor."

Elsa had to remind herself how to breathe.

In. Out.

 _You can do this. Talking is… Talking is good, yes?_ She thought as she tried to control her breathing, tried not to panic as scenarios upon scenarios raced through her mind, growing progressively worse. Of all the words to begin with, she hadn't expected that of Anna.

"Elsa?"

Those words probably shocked her to the point, that she wasn't even listening. "U-Um… I…" Neither could she concentrate with those fingers caressing the bottom of her jaw. The feeling of her warm skin against hers was… comforting, somehow. As if she'd been with her mentor for years, nothing felt better than to have her hands placed on her after a long, hard day.

That smile was warming, but Elsa just didn't know how to deal with the words that came out of it.

Anna sighed, "I've… not been a very good mentor to you… concealing these feelings and then, trying to show it by commanding you to kiss me."

"B-But I—"

She shook her head. "It's not about whether you wanted to do it or not… rather, it should be about something that you should do on your own without anybody telling you to. And for that, I'm sorry."

Still stunned, Elsa managed a small appreciative smile, her hand coming up to the one caressing her jaw. "But now we're clear about how we feel about each other… right?"

Anna's gaze softened. "Are we really? I believe...perhaps it would be best to take things at a slower pace, yes? After all, you're still my squire—we can't allow your training to slack!" She chuckled a little at her own words before the serious air returned. "And… I don't want there to be any suspicion once you get knighted. I don't want others to think that you'll get your title because...well…"

"Because they'll think I cheated," Elsa said flatly. "Because they wouldn't believe someone like me could—"

"No, no!" Anna cut her off quickly, clasping her hands reassuringly. "It has nothing to do with your ability, Elsa. I told you before, I don't exactly garner respect from my fellow nobles due to my… proclivities. Not only would they accuse me of corrupting you, but of being an immoral mentor who manipulated my way into giving you a knighthood to better my own name. Or any other vicious lie that may cross their minds. It is why, at first, I was…"

"You were?" Elsa prodded, and Anna grimaced, but continued.

"...Hesitant to take you on as my squire. There was already such talk among the less honorable knights, who want to see me fail regardless of the actions I take."

Elsa knew of such knights. Sir Hans, for one. With his ridiculous sideburns, calculating eyes and condescending sneers. He belonged to a noble family that had first objected to the inclusion of female knights centuries ago, claiming they wouldn't be fit to uphold the honor—a sentiment that apparently persisted even until today.

"But... you haven't. You've trained me so well." Elsa didn't know she had this thought in her mind, worrying herself that she wasn't good enough. Never would she have thought her bubbly mentor would have these kind of thoughts… concealing whatever feeling that she deemed unnecessary. "You… really shouldn't be listening to what these people… you're my mentor and only I can judge whether or not you fail."

She chuckled. "I guess."

Elsa smiled, letting her fingers entwine with Anna's. "Then… I guess, you're right about one thing… we really should take things slow, right?"

The knight gave a smile of her own. "And here I thought I was the more impulsive and impatient of us…"

"There are things for which I can be patient and logical…" Elsa murmured, tracing the back of Anna's palm with reverence before catching and holding Anna's gaze. "Your affection has never really been one of them."

Her mentor ducked her head at those words, a blush spreading across her freckled cheeks, and Elsa's heart swelled with pride. After concealing it for so long, it felt...freeing to say it aloud. The thoughts once confined to her own mind.

Sir Kristoff's earlier words flitted through her head, to look after Anna, and Elsa silently swore she would make good on that promise. As a squire, as a knight, as a noble's daughter...it didn't matter.

No one would harm Anna, or tarnish her name, as long as Elsa was there to put a stop to it.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Contributors for this round:** The Wandering Quill, Issandri, iamrottingunman, CanITellUSmthin, Cyrianu, Pankite, a-kind-of-truth, therewillbesparkles


End file.
